“Shellshock” Bash Bug…..

“Shellshock” Bash Bug…..

You have heard about it this past week, but do you know what it is or how it affects you?

“Shellshock” is the nickname given to this discovery of the Bash bug, or more right to say, the bug found within “Bash”. So what is Bash? Bash is the acronym for Bourne Again SHell. It is essentially a programming language used in the base of Linux and MacOS.

If hackers exploit this Bash bug, they could gain access to to your system and change or do pretty much whatever they want, as its hidden background stuff, you would never know its been used. It could be used to disrupt things, or worst case destroy your data or infect your systems with Virii.

So does it affect you? Simply Yes, if affects pretty much everyone who has a Mac, a Linux based device or anyone that uses the Web, so that covers pretty much everyone. If your a Windows PC user, your device, thankfully is not directly affected! However some of those websites you go on, will be. A Large proportion of websites are hosted on Linux Servers that run Apache Web Hosting Software.

By now most stuff will have been patched by the vendors, Apple have released patched, most Linux distributions and software providers have released patches. Where there looks to be concerns are Linux based network devices, such as Routers, Switches, Firewalls, NAS drives. It is well worth checking these devices out with their manufacturer to see if they are affected and if so, is there a firmware update available for them, and get it installed as soon as possible.

Passwords. Should you change them, only once your sure the site you have been using has been patched or is clear of the bug. If your unsure, check first!